Master's in Emergency & Disaster Management
Marc Barbiere
Marc has worked in emergency management, public health, and public safety for close to thirty years. He currently serves as the Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of Alexandria, Virginia. Prior to his current role, he previously held leadership positions with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Georgetown University, the DC Department of Health, the Fairfax County Health Department, the NYC Office of Emergency Management, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the NYC Fire Department. He holds a Master’s in Leadership from Georgetown University and a Master’s in Public Health from CUNY Hunter College. He has completed the FEMA Emergency Management Advanced Academy, is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), and a Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP).
Marc started his career as an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) provider with the NYC Fire Department (FDNY), working as a paramedic in some of the most challenging settings imaginable, including the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. During his career, he has coordinated or assisted in the response to a number of major disasters and emergencies, including:
● COVID (2020 - 2023)
● Hurricane Harvey (2017)
● Ebola (2014 - 2016)
● Mid-Atlantic Derecho (2012)
● H1N1 (2009 - 2010)
● “Miracle on the Hudson” (2009)
● March and May Crane Collapses (2008)
● Midtown Manhattan Steam Pipe Explosion (2007)
● Inhalational Anthrax Case (2006)
Marc has also worked internationally, most recently for The Children's Hospital Trust in Cape Town, South Africa, where he served as the planning lead for a five-member consulting team tasked with identifying priorities for improving pediatric healthcare in the Western Cape (population approximately 7.4 million). His team brought together public health, medical, and academic leaders from numerous regional institutions, including the University of Cape Town, the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, the Western Cape Government, and others, working collaboratively on their plan and recommendations.
He is a born and raised New Yorker, but currently calls Northern Virginia home. He lives in Fairfax County, Virginia, with his wife and daughter. He is active in his church and his daughter’s Girl Scout troop, and serves as a Team Rubicon volunteer. He has published articles and presented nationally on emergency management and public health preparedness-related topics. He spends time outdoors whenever he can, and loves to travel to historically-significant or sports-related destinations whenever possible